Veiled Vice
by bladewielder05
Summary: The most important thing in a game are the pieces. Take care of them, and they will help you. Forgo them, and they will corrode you. In this game, the Smashers...are just pawns for two masks to play with. When corruption takes a hold on the Smashers, even the closest of friends will have to watch their backs for treachery from their loved ones. Who's dying next? ...Who cares?
1. Prologue

**Hello! I'm back! Here's a little prologue to a story I'm hoping would be great, but hey. That's for you readers to decide. It's probably gonna be stupid and cliché, but I try. Anyways, curious about the summary? Hehehe...well, you just have to continue reading to find what's up. Hopefully, I'll be able to get that part down to publish...anyways, ENJOY!**

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Prologue

The figure's bright yellow mask smiled eerily as the prone body shivered violently before it. The mask leaned forward, a gloved hand reached out. A tight grip on the victim's hair elicited a small mewl of pain. The merciless glove lifted the head. The dark blue mask sobbed in response, in agony, in fear.

Oh, how the figure loved the expression on its victim's face right now! It adored the way the tears created streaks of sorrow on that crying mask. Another gloved hand slapped the mask away as the first glove released the hair, causing the body to fall to the floor with a sickening thud. A cruel laugh echoed through the area. Footfalls barely roused the body. The same glove grasped the strands to face the mask once again. The other glove traced an awkward shape on the ground. A forked tongue flicked from the mouthpiece of the happy mask.

"Foolery! Only a foolish fool like this here fool would foolishly fool another fool into fooling the foolishness of so many fools!"

The blue mask coughed, "I-ack!" It felt the wind rush past it in flurry to escape the oppressor's rage. A crack on the forehead shed red tears, like an extra, unseen eye. The agony of the wound stabbed at the mask's inner thoughts, sending them scattering. The body shivered as the figure's foot fell on the back of the blue mask. A grinding pain cost the mask a few seconds of its pathetic life. The blue mask prayed, pleaded, sobbed for some reconciliation, forgiveness, death. Anything but this senseless torture.

"…I've got a thing for games…" the foot removed itself from its position.

"…"

"…" the glove gently raised the blue mask's chin. "…I've got a thing for games…"

"…" the blue mask suppressed the flickering flame of hope. It thought it heard a negotiating tone in its tormenter's voice. However…its optimism has always been wrong.

"…I've got a thing for games…" the yellow mask revealed a void of emptiness. The void effectively scuffled out that fire. Oh, how the yellow mask enjoyed seeing the hope in its victims' faces before successfully wiping that option away. There was no other feeling as satisfying as torturing a person into thinking there was some way out of their pathetic predicament. Starting on the outside worked as the yellow mask was able to break them piece by piece. But, eat them from the inside, and the outside shall decay with it. The use of physical strength would fall without the use of a soul. The souls in the most despair, to the point of insanity or _ were the best in its opinion. It couldn't wait to see the results of this game.

"I've got a thing for games."

It wasn't a game. IT isN't A gAMe. It WaAS nEv3r a Gam3.

LIVeS diEd. LiVEs fade. lIveS w17l Co11aP5e.

Bt th bst thng bt gms?

IT'S n3v3r fun iF I play bI y0uRself. The M0R3…

Rgw nweeuwe.

I heatd yuor gtus. I've aaylws heatd yuor gtus! THe wAy y0u wlaekd, tHe wAy y0u tlaekd, tHe wAy y0u dId ainytinhg! I heatd it!

FFFUUUFUUUFFUUUUFFUUUUUFFUUUHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAAAAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHA!

I've gone crazy! Haven't I, Brother?!

I've gone crazy! Haven't I?! haven't I? Haven't…? U? please? Haven i? i…? i…i…_

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 **Yeah, this ending's a bit iffy. Maybe a bit hard for you to understand? I don't know. If you guys have any questions about what it said, PM me or something. I'll tell you. I'm not going to tell you here because...well, why would I tell you here when I could have already told you in the story, eh? Anyways, hope you guys enjoy. Leave something or whatever you guys want to do. I'll try and get the chapters out soon.**

 **Oh yeah. The part when the mask starts going on about fools, kudos to whoever knows the reference.**


	2. Chapter 1: Reasons

**SURPRISE, SURPRISE! STILL ALIVE, DUDES! Yeah...so, thanks to everybody who read my weird prologue. Thanks to Mr (Guest) and john Smith (Guest) for reviewing! I really appreciate it! And thanks to Reevee21 for Following my story! Now you know that I've updated! :P So...yeah, chapter 1! This is where you guys will see familiar characters, hehehe...I just love thinking about where I'm going to go with this story...but it saddens me because then I'm afraid I might not be able to finish. I'll try and get as much of it out as possible, but, like Miss Lady Luck, I'm pretty fickle when it comes to my stories. Still, hope you guys enjoy. Review or whatever you guys want to do, but the most important thing is that you guys enjoy my story. :D**

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Chapter 1: Reasons

The first to leave was Samus. Nobody knew why the bounty hunter left, nor did they know when she left. It just happened one day.

"Zero Suit Samus," Master Hand had called over the intercom. "Please enter the simulator for your match."

She never showed up. This caused a buzz of gossip among the newcomers. For the veterans, however, it seemed to be a normal occurrence. Granted, it rarely happened, but it didn't change the fact that it still happened. The Smashers who played hooky always answered to Master Hand once they returned. That, in itself, was enough to discourage hooky-playing.

But this was Samus we were talking about. She could get away with stuff like this.

Thankfully, it was a four-player match, so the other challengers didn't completely waste their time preparing for battle, heading towards the simulator, and entering the field. Despite his frustration at Samus's actions, Master Hand knew he could not completely prevent the Smashers from leaving whenever they wished. He discouraged it but could never find the heart to ban them from doing so. Unfortunately for him, Samus has taken her suit as well, so they couldn't use that to replace her. Not like it was going to mean anything. The two had a great number of differences that could change the tide of the battle to either way. He signaled the beginning of the match, much to his regret.

Even if the master of the mansion let it go, a few others didn't. Pit zoomed down the hallways, narrowly avoiding some Smashers as he attempted to find certain someones. He was fortunate enough that his sandals did not track dirt from the outside lest R.O.B punished him for dirtying the neat, red carpets of their home. The angel also flapped his wings occasionally for a few bursts of speed, fluttering some of the tapestries and portraits on the walls. He had already checked the kitchen, only to find his twin stealing some cookies with Ness. His next move was to check the bedrooms while munching on some cookies that Dark Pit used to bribe him into not tattle-telling.

Pit gently rapped his knuckles on a pink door. A cheerful "Come in~!" answered his knock, prompting the angel to open the door. Inside he saw Peach and Zelda watching the match from the holographic screen. Each room had a hologram projector. Originally, the rooms were equipped with televisions, but after Mega Man entered the roster, Master Hand installed the projectors. The giant glove felt that they took up less space and were more convenient, especially when he wanted to emphasize himself in one of his lectures or scoldings. Zelda leaned against Peach's bed while the pink princess herself sat on the bed hugging a pink pillow. Both monarchs looked at the angel who had entered.

"Hello, Pit. What brings you here?" Zelda smiled. Pit grinned a bit. Despite his rivalry with Link, he got along fine with Zelda, possibly because she never ripped off his style. His smile soon disappeared when he remembered the situation at hand.

"Do you know where Samus is?" he asked. The two rulers gave each other a curious look. Then Peach waved a hand in the air.

"I don't think you need to worry, Pit. I heard from Mario that Samus sometimes leaves without saying anything. And she always comes back in two or three days."

Pit fidgeted, hopping from one foot to another, "Are you sure? Was she with you yesterday?"

Zelda nodded, "She was. Although…" the Hyrule princess tilted her head in thought, "she acted a bit strange though."

"Strange?" the angel repeated, alarm bells jingling in his head. "How?"

"I'm not entirely sure. It was just a feeling I had. However, I do think that everything will be fine, Pit. Samus just might be handling some of her world's business." Zelda was about to add how Link rarely, but still went off in a manner very much like Samus, but she figured that Pit wouldn't give much thought to that certain Hylian. The angel looked on the ground uncertainly.

"If you say so…" when he first heard that Samus was gone, he felt something weird tingle in his wings. Not the usual tingle that he felt occasionally for some odd reason. This tingle felt…mad…Pit couldn't think of a better word to describe that strange feeling. He could only say that it was mad. But if both Peach and Zelda were certain that the bounty hunter was fine, then Pit could only put his trust in two of Samus's oldest friends. Pit hid his uncertainty with a smile, "Thanks!"

"You're welcome! Oh, and please tell Dark Pit to at least leave some cookies for the others," Peach giggled. Pit's smile faltered as his eyes went to the half-eaten, chocolate-chip cookie in his hand. The angel grinned sheepishly at the two rulers before closing the door behind him. Peach and Zelda exchanged a knowing look and turned their attentions back to the fight at hand. Boy, was Dark Pit going to be mad at his twin for breaking his cover.

Pit was not the only one who was worried about Samus's absence. Captain Falcon always worried whenever the bounty hunter left, but his fears were based on his feelings alone. No substantial evidence involved in his anxieties. Mega Man was also concerned about Samus leaving, but he was quickly reassured by the other veterans on that matter as well.

There was another Smasher, however, who, like Pit, sought authority figures to explain Samus's disappearance. Like Pit, this Smasher had an instinctive feeling of foreboding events. In fact, his visions told him that blood, chaos, and death awaited the Smash Mansion. Even before Samus left he had these visions. Past events taught him that the future was subject to change. However, these apparitions rang a sense of dark truth that Shulk couldn't possibly shake off. He had to find somebody who would understand, somebody who would know what to do.

Master Hand didn't like to be disturbed whenever a match was occurring. The giant glove preferred that everybody sat their butts down and enjoyed the fights. This way, nobody would annoy him. Yet it was inevitable that somebody would always burst into his office with some sort of complaint or trick. It happened on a daily basis, and Master Hand attempted to stop it at all costs. However, the Smashers were smart and created multiple ways to avoid such attempts. As a result, the giant glove finally had to give up and deal with it. Of course, it didn't stop him from being in a grumpy mood whenever somebody did burst into his office.

Shulk knocked on the door before turning the knob to open it. Immediately, Master Hand slapped his desk. The Hom jumped in surprise at the loud slap, falling back with a slight cry. Recognizing the cry, Master Hand felt a bit apologetic at scaring Shulk. But only just a bit.

"Sorry…thought you were somebody else," the hand of the mansion muttered apologetically. The blonde quickly picked himself up and entered the room.

"It's all right. I know how the others like to play tricks on you," he gave a little smile. Master Hand coughed cautiously before settling down behind his desk. For a giant glove, his room was quite neat. Shelves of books lined up on either side of his desk. A giant, glass window allowed sunlight to filter in and light up the room. Shulk could see that a projector similar to the one in his own room displayed the match in progress. All in all, Master Hand's office was comfortable enough. The Monado wielder shuddered at the thought of going to Crazy Hand's room. He heard stories and rumors of it, vile stories and terrifying rumors. It was said that Luigi had accidentally entered Crazy's room before the Brawl Tournament started. The plumber's Final Smash reflected all that he had witnessed in that room. Strangely enough, Luigi couldn't seem to remember exactly what he saw.

Master Hand gestured for Shulk to take a seat in front of him, "Anyways, did you need something? You're not usually one to come down here when a match is going on."

Shulk's smile quickly faded. He sat in the offered chair. Now that he was here, Shulk wasn't entirely sure on how to tell the giant glove. As a newcomer, he still felt a little nervous around the giant, talking, floating glove and his brother. He had seen many incredible things back in his world. But two giant, talking, floating gloves really beat everything else. It seemed so normal but at the same time abnormal…maybe this wasn't a good idea.

Master Hand tapped his desk with his fingers. That wasn't a good sign. Shulk took a deep breath. He reviewed what he knew and decided that Master Hand had a right to know what could possibly happen to everyone living here at the Smash Mansion. "I've…been having these visions…" the blonde began. Master Hand leaned forward, gesturing for Shulk to continue. He was well aware that some of the newcomers still weren't comfortable about him or his brother to a certain extent and tried to be as nice and gentle to Shulk as possible. The Hom had something important to say, he was sure.

"Go on."

Shulk squirmed in his chair, recalling his visions. He took another deep breath, "The weird thing is, these visions aren't as clear as the other visions I usually get. They're…usually dark. Splattered with blood. I could hear voices screaming. Some of them, I recognize briefly before forgetting."

"Anything else?"

"Well…there were some things that, for some strange reason, I could see as broad as day," Shulk hesitated. He blinked, recalling the vivid images. Some were pretty simple, while the others seemed complex with a secret hidden in each line. Master Hand waited for the swordsman to gather his thoughts. He finally continued, "I saw a white feather stained with blood…three pairs of eyes blinking…drool-dripped fangs…simmering blue lights…a cracked Pokéball…a triangle missing a corner…and a burning mask." The Hom looked away from the giant glove, "That's all I really remember…"

Master Hand paused, analyzing what he just heard. He tapped his desk again, this time in thought. Like Shulk, he knew that the future was subject to change and that whatever the Monado wielder saw wasn't set and nailed. However, it was worth looking into. Master Hand finally stopped tapping, "How long have you been getting these visions?"

"I'm not really sure. They just…started creeping up on me one day."

"Why did you wait until now to tell me?"

"Well…" Shulk looked to the ground. There was one other thing that set the final nail in his coffin of dealing with his visions alone. He wasn't sure whether it was a good idea to tell Master Hand the other thing. The Hom's silence alerted Master Hand to another secret. The giant glove stared Shulk down, determined to find out the other issue bothering him. He had to know. If any of Shulk's visions were to come true, then Master Hand would be able to prepare accordingly and lower the risk for his Smashers. When Shulk wouldn't continue, Master Hand finally had to turn to guessing. Thinking back to the events of the day, it wasn't difficult to suspect that the latest incident was the cause of Shulk's sudden confession.

"Does it have something to do with Samus?" Master Hand asked. The Hom started, confirming Master Hand's suspicions. Shulk knew that Master Hand now knew. Might as well tell him. There was no turning back now.

"I saw somebody aim their gun at me in one of my visions," Shulk revealed. "The gun looked like a dinosaur's head or something. It had sharp teeth and glowing eyes."

"And you think that somebody is Samus because…?"

"They were taller than me," Shulk said bluntly, "and Samus is the only one taller than me that has a cannon on her arm."

"Hmm…" Master Hand murmured to himself. He turned away from the curious Hom to look outside. The Smash Mansion overlooked a beautiful field, and the giant glove always enjoyed looking at it. The field usually helped him muse over important issues such as the one at hand right now. A slight beeping sound alerted him that the match had just finished. He turned back to Shulk. "Don't worry about those visions anymore. I'll make sure that nobody gets hurt. If those visions continue to bother you, go ahead and see Dr. Mario. I'm pretty certain that Palutena can do something about them as well."

Shulk hesitated, "What about Samus?"

Master Hand waved his concern away, "Your vision probably showed somebody else. Besides, Samus can take care of herself. Why do you think I allow her to leave the Smash Mansion on a whim?"

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 **Yup...Samus is the first to leave...I used a random number generator to pick certain Smashers for certain things, and, I have to say, I was kind of glad that the first to be chosen was Samus. It...just fits so well...**

 **Anyways, some few notes stuff. I believe that Samus has some Auto-Pilot thing in her suit so that if the occasion arrives, she can Smash against it without too much confusion. I will be treating Zelda and Sheik as the same person while the Robins, Wii Fit Trainers, and Villagers will be separate people. Male Robin is Robin, Female Robin is Roseclere in conjunction with my Christmas story :D Wii Fit Trainers are Mr. and Mrs. Fit (meh...) and the Villagers...Their names will be based on the clothing colors. I'll let you guys guess who's who. Oh, yeah, Alph is a separate character here as well.**

 **Pit's worried about Samus because I like to see Samus as a big sister to Pit and Dark Pit. Same game thing, you know...Captain Falcon, heh, blame Brawl in the Family. And for Mega Man...Brawl in the Family again, I guess! :D I loved that comic series...**

 **A little side note, I make Dark Pit, Ness, and Robin friends because...well...I main Dark Pit, and my Smashing friends main Ness and Robin. Yeah...that's...pretty much the basis for that canon of mine. Makes a bit of sense since I more or less ship Dark Pit and Lucina and I like to think that Dark Pit would get along great with Lucas and his relationship with those two would then result in his interaction with Ness and Robin as well. Yeah...**

 **Time for me to rage a bit more on the lag of Smashing Online on my 3DS. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!**


	3. Chapter 2: Anguish

**Hello again! To all who read, thank you so much. Thank you to Guest for reviewing and thank you to BlazeRodAtaraxy and TheVioletElement for following me! I really do appreciate it! Anywho...here's the next chapter, where things get even more serious! Again, hope you guys enjoy!**

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Chapter 2: Anguish

The Smashers chattered curiously to one another as they looked to the stage, wondering what was so important that everybody had to be called. A few minutes earlier, Mario's voice had requested all the Smashers to come to the assembly room. A few veterans were confused as they knew that the only way one could access the intercom was to be in Master Hand's room. Very rarely did somebody sneak in to speak through the intercom (the last time somebody did, it was said that Master Hand punished them severely to discourage any further pranks). The Smashers had caught a serious note in Mario's voice and quickly filed into the assembly room.

Fox did a quick head-count before nodding to Mario. The Italian plumber nodded his thanks before stepping up to the microphone. He wiped his brow nervously with a handkerchief as all eyes were on him. The chatter, once high, suddenly dropped to nothingness. Mario could see the expectation and curiosity in everybody's face and wanted to get this over with as soon as possible to deal with another matter. Ten Smashers sat behind him, silently watching the audience.

"Hello, everybody," he said into the mike. A few returned the hello. "I'm sure you're all wondering why I called you here."

"Hurry up! I'm missing my soap opera!" yelled King Dedede.

"Listen and you won't miss it!" Captain Falcon shouted back, a little irritated. Ness placed a hand on the racer's shoulder in hopes to calm him down. Captain Falcon jerked his shoulder away, however, leaving Ness a bit sorrowful for his friend. Pikachu and Kirby mirrored his look.

Mario wiped his brow again, "I'm really sorry, but there's an important announcement I have to make. Master Hand and Crazy Hand have both gone on a trip."

That statement sent the Smashers buzzing once more. What could this mean? Sure, Master Hand usually sent Crazy Hand on the errands with a Smasher in hopes that that fighter could keep his brother under control. But the boss of the mansion rarely left the place on his own. He didn't like to risk the mishaps the Smashers may bestow on their home. Heck, even when he was there, the mansion could still barely stand on its pillars. How could he hope that somebody would be able to control his crazy Smashers when he, the Master Hand, couldn't? Certainly nobody. That was a clear enough reason to stay in his mansion for as long as possible. But how could he leave now with Crazy Hand? What was going on?

"I understand that this is a bit…unusual for all of us. I myself have never seen him step out of a five-meter radius of the Smash Mansion. However, something important must be going on for him to leave so suddenly."

"When did he leave?" Robin asked.

"He and Crazy left just a few minutes ago," Mario replied. "Before they left, Master Hand has informed me that the original twelve Smashers would be in charge of the Mansion."

"But Samus still hasn't returned! Who's the twelfth?" Falco questioned. Upon hearing that, Captain Falcon growled. Falco could be a real jerk sometimes and he knew that the racer had been brooding over that fact. But in pointing that out, the avian reminded many of the Smashers of the question: where exactly was Samus and why hasn't she returned? Mario heard the warning growl and was about to reply when somebody beat him to it. Another ripple of shock washed over the Smashers as the new speaker stood up with his arms crossed to address them:

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that we are in charge for the time-being. I understand that Master Hand has allowed all of you to fool around and do whatever you want. We won't stop you from doing whatever you want. However, I don't want any major trouble out of _any_ of you. There're enough problems as it is without the help of all of you causing even more. If Master Hand, who hasn't left this mansion for over sixteen years since the first Smash Tournament started, leaves now, then something big must be up. So I'll appreciate it if you comprehend the situation at hand and behave yourselves."

Mario looked behind him in surprise at the grimacing Hylian. Link's cold eyes silenced the Smashers almost immediately. His speech was more than enough to notify the Smashers that this was no laughing matter. Similarly in his games, Link rarely spoke with any of the other Smashers. He might utter a word or two in greeting but saved most of his conversations for Zelda, the original Twelve, and holidays.

Link allowed the enormity of his words sink in before taking up the torch once again, "That's all. If you would excuse all of us, we have another matter to deal with." His lips tightened and he left the stage through the back. Pikachu jumped from his own chair and followed his friend. Slowly, the other eight Smashers rose from their chairs to discuss another urgent issue. Mario waited until all were gone before turning his attention back to the audience.

"Thank you for taking the time to come here. You may leave." The Italian plumber left without another word, leaving the Smashers to their thoughts.

…

"Let me go find her!" Captain Falcon slammed his fist on the table. Only Mario and Link maintained their serious expressions while the others flinched slightly at the ferocity Captain Falcon was displaying. The racer was usually a great joker and raised his voice in play. However this time, his eyes held a dead-seriousness that only appeared in his games. "It's already been a week since she left! She never takes this long to settle things!"

The eleven original Smashers sat around a table in the order of Mario, Link, Pikachu, Kirby, Donkey Kong, (Samus), Fox, Yoshi, Captain Falcon, Ness, Jigglypuff, and Luigi. They were in the spatial meeting room right next to Master Hand's office. The entire room was lit with blue fluorescent lights but they were currently dimmed to match the tension inside the room. The Twelve would use that same meeting room to discuss about potential new characters or other issues that needed to be addressed. Whenever Master Hand or Crazy Hand was out of commission, Mario usually assumed leadership.

"We already agreed that Samus can take care of herself," Link replied, his arms crossed to show his stubbornness. "All of us have to stay back and take care of the mansion."

Captain Falcon snorted in derision, "How hard is it to watch one mansion? Ten Smashers are more than enough to deal with whatever trouble the others will throw."

"But even Master Hand still has trouble keeping the others under control," Fox argued. "Who's to say that the others would listen to us willingly? Some of them are probably plotting to overthrow us or whatever they usually do in their games." The Mario Bros nodded in agreement while the others exchanged nervous glances. Link could already see Ganondorf consulting Bowser about an evil plan to take over the mansion while Master Hand was absent and made a mental note to himself to keep a closer eye on the Gerudo. Despite the obvious danger of the villains taking over, the F-Zero racer continued to argue for his search.

"All the more reason to find Samus! More manpower for our group!" Captain Falcon retorted.

"You're missing the point!" Fox slammed his own paws on the round table. The Arwing pilot was losing his patience for Captain Falcon. He honestly wanted to summon Landmaster and just crush and roll the Smasher into a pulp. He glowered at the racer, who glared right back. "Master Hand and Crazy Hand are both gone! They never left any of us alone before! That is a sure sign that something bad is going to happen!"

"Yoshi!" the green dinosaur placed his own bit in the conversation. At the sound of the creature, Captain Falcon shot a forefinger in his direction.

"If Mario left and didn't return in the last seven days, you would be begging to find him too!"

"Yoshi! Yoshi, yo!" Mario's companion glared angrily at Captain Falcon. "Yoshi!"

"Yeah, I'm going to pretend that I didn't understand that."

"Yoshi!"

"Nope."

"Will you stop acting like a kid?!" Link lost his patience with the captain. In all his time in the Smash Mansion, Link had never seen Captain Falcon act this way before. The catalyst for his fury, as everybody knew, was most definitely Samus's leave. The racer had a thing for the other bounty hunter ever since they first fought one another back in 1999. Captain Falcon challenged her to a fight, the terms that if she won, he would join the roaster, and if he won, she would go out on a date with him. He lost but never gave up on the idea that she would go out with him eventually. Link saw the racer's emotions blocking his rationale. Fox was right. The Hands' absence foreshadowed a terrible event and it was important that all the Smashers stood together. Link slammed his fist on the table, "Stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about others and the situation at hand!"

"I'm _**not**_ thinking about myself!" Captain Falcon shouted back. "I'm thinking about Samus! Why aren't you worried about her?! Aren't you all her friends too?! Huh? Who's the selfish one for not looking for their friends when they're in danger?!"

Link's patience snapped at that. He had enough crap listening to Captain Falcon accuse him of not caring for his friends. What did the racer know about the stress of being the destined Hero whose purpose was to slay the Beast and save the Princess? Especially when there were enough rumors about Link not caring about his own destiny in his own games. The Hero hated how he was misunderstood in those situations, and the racer's deliberate accusation severed Link's long patience with him. Link stood up from his chair and pointed an indignant finger at Captain Falcon, "You don't know that! Maybe Samus's issue is just keeping her away a bit longer than she intended!"

" _ **Seven days**_! She's been gone for seven days! Nobody is gone for seven days without telling any of us beforehand! Nor has she contacted us!"

"Like I said!" Link shook his head, "Her issue's keeping her a bit longer than usual!" It grated him how the F-Zero racer falsely accused them of not caring for Samus's well-being. They did care, all of them, especially how she was part of their tight-knitted group. But, unlike Captain Falcon, they believed that Samus was more than capable of taking care of herself, the most likely out of all of them to survive outside actually.

Captain Falcon stood up so violently that his chair teetered backwards and crashed to the ground. The other Smashers, notably the younger ones, flinched at the intensity of his anger. Link stood his ground and continued to glare at the racer. "I'm going to search for her and none of you can stop me!" He stormed out of the room, snapping his fingers to call on his vessel.

"Douglas, wait!" Mario held out a hand to stop him, but it was too late. The door slammed shut behind him, leaving the other ten Smashers to exchange both worried and furious glances. Link and Fox refused to say anything else, their anger completely keeping them shut. The younger Smashers looked to the older ones for some sort of leadership, some direction to the right path. Mario stared at the shut door as if hoping that Captain Falcon would come to his senses and return, a futile hope. Luigi placed a reassuring hand on his older brother's shoulder. Mario smiled in thanks before redirecting his attention back to the other Smashers. "Captain Falcon's too stubborn. I think our best course of action is to simply handle the mansion ourselves and leave Douglas to his chase."

"And the villains?" Ness asked. Ever since Subspace Emissary, the PSI kid spent a lot of time with King Dedede. The penguin king was part of the listed villains and Ness hated to see his friend be suspected of such treacherous deeds.

Luigi knew where Ness was going and smiled, "We'll just keep an eye on them too, just to be safe." His tone suggested that Ness had no need to fear King Dedede's suspicion. If anything, the green plumber hoped that all villains could be as lazy as King Dedede and only commit a crime every once in a while. Knowing that was the best answer he was going to get, Ness nodded his consent. Mario looked at the other Smashers for any further questions. Almost all shook their heads in response.

The plump plumber then wiped his brow once more, "Since there are neither questions nor objections, this meeting is adjourned. Remember, keep your eyes out and watch for the others." The Original Smashers stood up and filed out of the room silently, taking their tension with them. Fox literally kicked the door open and raced down the halls towards his room. Mario watched all of them leave except one. He turned to his old friend, "Is there anything else you make of this situation, Link?"

"Only that we're all in grave danger," Link said grimly. He sighed as he rubbed his eyes tiredly, "I know where Douglas is going with this. I understand his frustration, but he has to know that he's needed here too." His fury drained a lot of energy from the Hylian Hero. He sat back down in his chair, his hand still rubbing his eyes. Mario also sat down. He stared at the table in deep thought before muttering:

"And what about Samus?"

"…I'm afraid of what Douglas might discover if he does manage to find her…"

…

Fortunately for the Original Smashers, the day continued without a hitch. Those who were close to any member of the Originals attempted to pester them into telling what their important discussion was. However they kept their mouths shut tightly to the issue at hand. Surprisingly, Captain Falcon had not left yet. The other Smashers steered clear of him though, including his friends. They could tell how upset he was, and how easily he would lash out at them if they tried to comfort him. You wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that Falcon Punch.

Night soon fell, and the ten Original Smashers called the other fighters to go to bed. No staying up late these days as they rode on the excuse of Master Hand's absence. With the Smashers tucked in their beds, the whole mansion sat in silence underneath the dark sky.

There was always one who went against rules. This "one" though was a stranger to the mansion. Covered in purple, space armor with veins pulsing energy, the stranger's chest took on a familiar enemy's skeletal chest. A soft glow of red lit the way for the intruder. A purple mask disguised the person's face, making it difficult for anybody to see who they really were. A gun shaped in the head of a dragon replaced one of the person's hands. The other hand held a golden stone with a lightning bolt in the middle.

The intruder quietly walked through the mansion with the confidence of somebody who knew their way throughout. Metallic clinking softly echoed down the halls. They ignored the paintings on the wall and avoided stepping into any trace of moonlight. They started up the stairs, evading that one step that always creaked with too much weight. The stranger went past the women's second floor towards the third floor belonging to the…odder Smashers' floor. One door, two doors, five doors, and the intruder stopped. They gave the knob a twist.

Pikachu slept quietly in his bed. A small noise perked his ears, and he opened his eyes groggily. He blinked once before his eyes widened in surprise. "Pi-!" the stranger slammed the Thunder Stone on Pikachu's head, cutting the Electric Mouse Pokémon off. The moon winked with the other stars. The stranger's first mission was complete. They turned away to deal with their other targets. As they left the room, another intruder followed them right on their heels towards a different room.

The sun did not find cheerful greetings from the Smash Mansion in the morning. Blood-curling screams brought almost all the Smashers to the third floor. Link shoved his way through the stunned Smashers before him to see what the Underworld happened. His eyes widened in surprise and fear as he covered his nose and mouth with his hand to block the horrible stench. The smell of charred flesh filled the room, unable to leave the closed space.

Fox fell to his knees as he stared at the burnt remains of four Smashers. One pile carried the burning smell of Wolf, Fox's rival.

 **Total Smashers: 84**

 **Smashers Gone: 2**

 **Smashers Dead: 7**

 **Smashers Remaining: 75**

* * *

 **...whoops, did I forget to mention there were going to be character deaths, like...a lot of them? Uh...sorry! Then again...I did say so in the summary, so yeah...kudos to whoever can guess who died. I'll give you a hint...I play Super Smash Bros 4 and am addicted to it. Of course, you guys will know who died in the next chapter and understand the hint.**

 **Link may be the most serious of the Original Twelve right after Samus in my story, but I know that he's a huge derp on the inside. :P Master Hand's like a closed-in guy. I mean...who would you entrust a whole bunch of people with the potential to destroy the world in somebody else's hands? Not really anybody, especially when Master Hand himself has a hard time controling them as well. Link's anger at Captain Falcon's accusation is actually my take on how people often abandon the main quest...for the side quests XD Instead of finishing the game early and doing the other stuff later, the gamers go, "No, I want to play this mini-game!" Must be kind of awful for the people in danger and relying on that certain hero to save them to know that he would rather gather money in the grass and pots than actually fight against the villain.**


End file.
